Pomona, NY – Knickerbocker Ice Festival Inc., the organization that runs the annual Knickerbocker Ice Festival at Rockland Lake State Park, announced last week that event will go on hiatus in 2013.

Challenging economic conditions have forced the cancellation of the Knickerbocker Ice Festival, which had become one of the area’s most talked-about annual events.

Since 2007, the Knickerbocker Ice Festival has celebrated Rockland Lake’s history as the epicenter of the ice industry during the 19th century. It featured professional Ice Carving competitions and demonstrations and other family-friendly events.

“We are disappointed that the Knickerbocker Ice Festival won’t be held at Rockland Lake in 2013. Each year it became more and more popular and had become a top attraction for Rockland County every winter,” said Maria Rodd, Knickerbocker Ice Festival CEO. “We hope to someday bring it back to Rockland Lake, possibly in 2014.”